Software/hardware changes to improve usability

Product Feedback
1

Let me preface my post by stating I did not get my pebble because I wanted to easily tell the time by glancing at my wrist.

To be honest, I can’t really read the time on my watch. I got this device because to me, it is a piece of hardware that can make it easier for me to control my home; and this feedback is based on my experience using the Pebble Duo 2, and accessibility issues I have encountered.

  1. the pre-installed watch faces should include a large font watch face
  2. it would be nice if the watch buttons had texture or other tactile feel that would allow the user to easily differentiate the buttons
  3. a ‘left-handed’ setting that when enabled rotates the display 180, and swaps the up/down buttons
  4. modify the pebble app to allow users to change the app menu order in a similar fashion to the microPebble app.
2

  1. I don’t know how important it is to you for it to be installed by default, but there are plenty of watchfaces that have larger numbers. BRUTAL is one that immediately comes to mind for rectangular watches

  3. This is in the settings, go to Display → orientation

  4. This is available if you turn on the experimental Native Store feature in the Core app’s settings page

1 Like
3

Again, thank you!

While it is excellent that a new user can create an account, search for, and install a high vis watch face; that certainly requires the user to do more than just turn on watch, and then select high vis watch face. For me now, it isn’t that important anymore because I don’t use the watch to tell time. If a high vis watch face was available out of the box, I would be using that watch face, and my watch, to tell time.

The tactile feel of the buttons is something I have temporarily ‘fixed’ on my watch by applying a tiny spot of superglue to the center of each button. My suggestion here, is mostly ‘food for thought’ as I am well aware that changing software is far easier than changing hardware.

Sinister mode activated! I don’t know how I missed the left-hander mode, but it makes me love my device even more.

The next time I have to install the Pebble App, I will see if it can do what I need in regard to prioritizing user apps in the menu (and I’ll probably come back here to ask again how to do it).

4

In regards to the tactile nature of the buttons, the Time 2 does have knurled buttons, which is a fancy term for a cross-cut texture, and they are separated from one another, so they are very easy to distinguish via just touch. The Round 2 has an even larger gap between buttons, making them also easily distinguishable from one another.

All this is to say that, while they certainly aren’t re-engineering the Duo 2’s that were produced, Core clearly sees this issue and has addressed it with their newer products.

5

I can only provide feedback on devices that I own, or have handled/used.

6

@Flynn I have installed the latest Pebble mobile app, checked use Native App Store in settings, and the “move to top” button appears when I view an app in the app list. However, pressing the ‘move to top” button does not move my app to the top.

7

Press and hold on an app, then you can drag it in the list.

8

thank you for pointing me in the correct direction, I figured it out.

  1. open pebble app
  2. from the bottom, select “apps”
  3. then press “on my watch” (which does not look like a button)
  4. then in the “on my watch” view, the user can drag apps in the list (there is nothing visible on screen that would suggest the apps can be moved)

It works, but getting there with the pebble app is not the least bit intuitive.

My Feedback:

  1. the functionality for adjusting app order should not be tied to “use native app store”, the functionality should just be enabled OOTB.
  2. the “move to top” button that doesn’t work, should either be made to work or removed. Probably removed, so that there is only 1 place in the mobile app where the menu order can be modified.
  3. once the ability to to reorder the menu is available by default, there should be text on the “On My Watch” view that states “drag to change app order” or something similar.
9

Yup! In general the Pebble app’s UI is… not great. Feel free to submit a bug report through the app, that’ll be the most surefire way to get the devs’ attention. FWIW, it is an experimental setting for now, the final UI will be at least a little more polished.